University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa Professor has been selected as dean of with his appointment set to take effect on July 1, 2026, following notice at the next Board of Regents¡¯ meeting in April. Â鶹´«Ã½nuiākea is the only Indigenous-serving college at a Research I¨Cdesignated university in the U.S.
“Kamana brings a combination of intellectual rigor, cultural grounding and visionary leadership,” said UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “His work shows how ancestral wisdom can guide innovative solutions to today¡¯s most pressing challenges. As a scholar, teacher and convener, he inspires our students while helping position the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ as a place where Hawaiian knowledge not only thrives, but leads the way in shaping a more sustainable future for our islands and beyond.”
Beamer, the inaugural Dana Naone Hall Endowed Chair in Hawaiian Studies, Literature, & the Environment, is director of within Â鶹´«Ã½nuiākea. He also holds a faculty appointment at the William S. Richardson School of Law through the . His research focuses on governance, land tenure and Native Hawaiian resource management.
Beyond scholarship, Beamer has helped shape some of the university¡¯s most visible public conversations around land stewardship and justice. He founded and leads the annual Piʻo Summit, hosted by UH Mānoa, which brings together community leaders, scholars, policymakers and students to explore solutions for ʻāina restoration, stewardship and the return of lands to community care. The summit has become a signature gathering at the university, highlighting how traditional Hawaiian knowledge, policy and contemporary science can work together to address Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s environmental and social challenges.
“Â鶹´«Ã½nuiākea has provided me with such an incredible foundation and the tools to advance ancestral knowledge and regenerative values at home and across our world,” Beamer said. “I am profoundly honored to build upon the successes of our school and community to navigate a course toward aloha and abundance for our students and ʻāina, even in these challenging times. I can¡¯t wait to get to work!”
Scholarship, service
Beamer is also a prolific author whose work explores Hawaiian sustainability and governance. His books include Waiwai: Water and the Future of Â鶹´«Ã½ (2025), Islands & Cultures: How Pacific Islands Provide Paths toward Sustainability (2022), and No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation (2014).
From 2022 to 2024, Beamer served as a founding member of the Mauna Kea Stewardship Oversight Authority. He also served two terms on the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Commission on Water Resource Management, where he helped restore water flow to 45 streams across Â鶹´«Ã½ and pressed the U.S. Navy to address fuel contamination of the aquifer at Red Hill.
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Beamer has served as director of ʻāina-based education at Kamehameha Schools, which helped prepare him for an ongoing role as director of Stanford University¡¯s First Nations Futures Institute, a development program for Indigenous leaders. He comes from a long line of highly acclaimed educators, composers and musicians in Â鶹´«Ã½, including his great-great-grandmother, legendary Hawaiian composer Helen Desha Beamer, and is the only grandchild of Winnona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer. “Aunty Nona” was a revered kumu hula, author, educator and activist. In 2008, the UH Board of Regents awarded her a posthumous Regents¡¯ Medal of Distinction.